Wednesday, October 24, 2012

We had a splendid Navratri this year.Performed all the rituals which are supposed to be done on these days, attended pooja 's at temple & last but not the least had a nice time @ "Festival of lights " celebrated in San Diego. So after a busy 9 days now I'm just waiting for Diwali to roll on.

On Navratri days we offer goddess durga prashad made of moongdal or channa dal on all 9days. I mostly make "Pulagam" which we cook rice with little of moong dal & offer it along with ghee & jaggery. For one of 9days I made moong dal sundal as prashad to offer.

Prep Time - 1hr +5mins {Soak time + prep time}Cook Time - 15minsServes - 3 to 4 peopleIngredients 1Cup moong dal2Cups water1/2Cup grated coconut {Adjust as needed}Salt to tasteSeasoning1Tbs oil1Tsp mustard seeds1Tsp jeera2Red chili'sDirections - Soak moong dal in water for at least an hour. After 1hr strain water & keep aside.- In a vessel take 2Cups water & bring it to boil. To that add the strained moong dal. - Cook on low to medium heat for at least 10mins. Stir in once in a while. - Take few dal using a spoon or laddle. Check if it is cooked by pressing dal. If it is, switch off heat & if not, then cook for some more time.- Heat a pan with oil. To that add mustard, jeera & red chili's. - Once mustard starts jumping add moong dal to pan along with salt.- Mix them well. Cook till left over water evaporates. - Add coconut & switch off heat- Serve it as it is or with rice.Note - Pressure cook moong dal for 1 whistle. (We don't want the dal to be mushy). Allow it to cool for sometime & follow the sets in making it.

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Some dishes taste so good that you make them the same way 'n' number of times & still enjoy that as your first time.My mom makes this dish & I copied it from her. This is a easy & healthy style of enjoying this recipe.Few days back I received a mail for this dish.

To start off cook the taro roots using a pressure cooker.If not you can boil them in a big vessel with water & can check with a knife if they are cooked or not.Once cooked allow them to cool down & peel the skin off. Cut them in equal size thin pieces.

Heat a pan with 1tbs of oil then add mustard & curry leaves to it. Once the mustard starts jumping add the cut taro pieces to pan.Sprinkle besan on them while mixing carefully.

Cook it in a medium heat for 5mins.Then add 1tbs oil & mix it.

After 10mins the fry looks similar to this. Then sprinkle salt & chilli powder along with 1tbs oil.Mix them well.Fry them on low heat for another 10mins to get a crispy texture.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Ridge gourd chutney is one of my favorite dish & it is also my mom's recipe. I loved the balanced taste of tanginess & sweet in it.I used a whole ridge gourd without peeling it. The skin of ridge gourd gives a beautiful texture to the chutney & won't make the it gooey.

I'm linking this chutney to my event "Pickles & chutneys" which ended on Oct4th. I want to take a moment & thank one and all who participated in my event. Click on the above link to explore the delicious dishes posted by fellow bloggers.

Heat a pant with 1tbs oil. Then add the seasoning ingredients to pan and fry them for 2 mins. Check carefully that seasoning won't burn.Allow it to cool & transfer it to mixie/Grinder.In the same pan add the chopped ridge gourd & garlic. Fry them for 1 min & then close them with a lid.Allow them to cook & switch off heat.First grind the seasoning then add the cooked ridge gourd, tamarind,green chili's, jaggery last comes the salt. Grind them coarsely & check if the the taste is balancing.

Monday, October 1, 2012

These days as mentioned in my previous post I'm just killing time without knowing what to do. Then there came a thought of making ravva ladoo's which are our favorite. So here they are as virtual treats to you all.

Ravva ladoo is a very easy to make recipe. It is one of my favorites & always in a must have list.I had a pooja coconut sitting on my counter for last one month & I was confused what to do with it. Then yesterday I came in agreeing my thoughts & made these yummy ladoo's.

But before that I arranged this deco & which I wanted to share with you all. I used the nirmalya flowers (Flowers used for before days pooja) in this deco.

In a small pan take 1tbs ghee along with chopped walnuts.Fry them for 2mins & switch off heat.Now heat a wide pan with 2tbs ghee.Add sooji to pan & fry it till you get a nice aromatic smell. Now in process you might even burn sooji too.So to avoid it keep sautéing the pan for 3&1/2 to 4mins.Switch off heat & transfer it carefully to a heat resistant bowl. To that add grated coconut, sugar, walnuts & elachi powder.Add milk to the mixture & form them in to ladoo's. Be carful as the mixture will be a little hot.

Allow them to cool for 15mins so that they will become a little firmer & will be easy to handle. Store them in a air tight container & enjoy them.